Today’s Reading | James 1:1-18
Perseverence
What is so great about perseverance? James tells us that we should rejoice when trials come because they produce perseverance in our lives. The obvious question then is what is it about perseverance that makes trials something we should rejoice over? A word study in the New Testament on perseverance reveals that it means steadfast endurance toward aggression. It is the ability to stay put and stand our ground when opposition occurs. It is the strength needed to never give up and patiently wait for God to work. Why is this quality so important? Without it we can not successfully live the Christian life. It is the quality that leads to maturity and to ultimately be someone who lacks nothing (vs4). Without perseverance we will remain immature. Trials produce the quality we so desperately need in our lives, perseverance. Without trials we can not have perseverance, and without it, we would remain spiritual babies. We rejoice in trials because God is helping us develop what we need to live the Christian life. How are you responding to trials? Are you learning to preserver? God uses them to give you perseverance.
Today’s Questions
Say What?
What trials have you faced in the past?
So What?
How has God used them to help you mature in areas of your life?
Now What?
How can you apply this passage of Scripture in your life and then use it to help others as well?
Then What?
In light of this passage, what personal commitment can you make?